Public data GovHack event to be held at Whanganui's Alexander Library

Jo Buckingham (left) with Mike Price and Becky Stanley at the Alexander library. Photo / Bevan Conley

People of all ages will spend 48 hours in the Alexander Library next month as part of the Australasia-wide GovHack challenge.

GovHack encourages small teams of competitors to produce any kind of "hack" using government data, the most common being web applications, mobile applications or visualisations.

"You don't have to be a coder to be there," GovHack Aotearoa national co-ordinator Mike Price said.

"We've had people do art using data, and we've had people do music using data."

As well as encouraging people to find innovative ways to help their local community, GovHack also wanted to encourage government departments to open up more data to the general public, Price said.

"They want to do it, but they are just a bit slow in getting there."

Whanganui District Council connected community adviser Jo Buckingham said the event was similar to the 48 Hour Film Festival.

"You have a period of time to come up with an idea using open government data, then pitch that idea," Buckingham said.

"From a digital perspective, what I love about it is inspiring people to know this data is available, and that they have skills, diversity of opinion and knowledge to bring to it as well."

Price, who has been part of the GovHack set-up since 2015, said it was always great to see strangers come together to form a team and document an idea.

"They have to produce a three-minute video of their idea, that's basically what they'll be judged on.

"You don't come in with preconceived ideas. In fact, you don't know what the challenges are until the day."

GovHack was a "hybrid event", Price said.

"We've got physical locations in Whangārei, Auckland, Whanganui, Wellington and Christchurch, so people can rock up there, or they can join via Zoom from anywhere.

"Last year we actually ended up with hybrid teams made up of Australians and New Zealanders."

At a previous GovHack event, Whanganui families outreach librarian Becky Stanley's children designed an app that provided hygiene statuses of McDonald's restaurants.

"Out of that my son got to go down to the [GovHack] red carpet event in Wellington, and then went over to Australia for the same thing," Stanley said.

"He met all these amazing people, and he was only 13."

GovHack runs from August 20 to August 22. The Whanganui event starts at 7pm.

Wi-fi, printing/photocopying, spaces to create and library devices will be available throughout the weekend, and the event will be catered. Under-18s need to have a parent/guardian present if they wish to attend.

• For more information, visit hackerspace.govhack.org.